The small specific accumulating *outer arc* of the small specific Wagang Rebellion at the lower contour east of the bear-back held — by the small specific reading at the lame brother's eye-station at the past four months — at perhaps the small specific shape of thirty men, then perhaps forty, then perhaps fifty.
By the dusk of the first day of the eleventh moon of the seventh year, by the small specific reading at the lame brother's small specific careful eye, the small specific *outer arc* had taken at the lower contour the small specific shape of a small specific *holding camp* — a small specific accumulating shape of perhaps a hundred men in three small specific sub-camps, with the small specific accumulating shape of small specific patrols moving between them in the small specific careful pattern an old officer's eye would, at the small specific reading of the past four months, recognize as the small specific accumulating *military discipline* of a real rebel formation.
The small specific *outer arc* had — by the small specific reading at the past four months — not, however, come up the western face. Nor had it come up the eastern face. The small specific *outer arc* was, by the small specific accumulating reading of an old officer at sixty-two, at the small specific shape of a *holding* — the small specific accumulating shape of a force that was, by the small specific reading, holding a small specific *forward position* against the small specific Sui's accumulating *reaction* at Yangzhuang and at other small specific lower-country towns.
The household at the hut was — by the small specific reading at the past four months — *not* a small specific target.
It was, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four months, a small specific *unknown* at the upper hills.
Lao Wen, at the small wooden table at the noon of the second day of the eleventh moon, said in the small low voice: *lads. The small specific *outer arc* will not, by the small specific reading I am giving, come up the bear-back at any specific time in the next several months. The Wagang has, by the small specific reading at the small specific accumulating shape of the past four months, set the small specific *holding camp* against Wang Shichong's accumulating Sui patrols. The Wagang's small specific *outer arc* leader — by the small specific accumulating saying of the past two peddlers — is a man called Bing Yuanzhen. He is, by the small specific reading at the past two peddlers' saying, at the small specific accumulating shape of a small specific *holding officer*, not at the small specific shape of a *raiding* officer. He will not, by the small specific reading I am giving, send small specific accumulating raids at the upper hills.*
He paused.
"The small specific accumulating opportunity for the lads to go down — by the small specific reading I am giving at this noon — is, perhaps, the small specific accumulating spring of the eighth year. The small specific *holding camp* at the lower contour, by the small specific accumulating reading of a Sui patrol's accumulating winter, will, by the small specific reading I am giving, perhaps in the next four moons take a small specific accumulating engagement at the lower country. By the small specific accumulating shape of the engagement, the household will — by the small specific reading at the small specific peddlers' accumulating spring traffic — know whether the small specific *outer arc* has held or has, by the small specific reading, broken into the small specific *recruitment-and-takes-everyone*."
He paused once more.
"By the small specific reading at the small specific accumulating *recruitment-and-takes-everyone* of the next spring, lads — the small specific eventual shape will, by the small specific reading I am giving at this noon, be at hand."
The brothers nodded.
That winter — the seventh winter at the hut, the second winter of Heizi's twentieth year — was the small specific accumulating winter of the household's small specific final preparation.
Heizi, by the small specific reading at the small specific accumulating reading of the past five years and eight months, was at the small specific shape of a young man whose hand the country, by the small specific reading at the small specific accumulating *failure*, would by the small specific accumulating reading at the next year need. He was at the small specific accumulating reading of perhaps three thousand characters. He had, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four years, finished the *Mencius* and the *Zhongyong* and was, at the small specific reading of the long evenings of the eleventh and twelfth moons of the seventh year, at the small specific accumulating reading of a small specific selection of the *Han Shu* — the small specific historical chronicle of the Han dynasty — by Lao Wen's small specific saying. He was at the small specific accumulating reading of seven of ten on certain days at the *cut at the recovery*, six of ten at the *quarter-circle*, and at the small specific accumulating reading of his own small specific compound move at perhaps four of ten on certain days. He was at the small specific accumulating shape of a young head of household at his small specific final accumulating reading.
Wang Er, by the small specific reading at the same dusk, was at the small specific accumulating shape of a smith-and-saber whose third year of forging had laid in the small specific accumulating shape of an accomplished smith. He had, by the small specific reading at the past two years, made — by the small specific accumulating reading at the small bog-iron's small specific accumulating gathering — perhaps eight blades total: four sabers, four small specific knives. He had also, by the small specific accumulating reading of the past year, begun to make small specific spear-heads — by the small specific reading at Lao Wen's small specific accumulating saying that the small specific Sui patrols would, at the small specific *holding camp* engagement of the spring, perhaps shift the small specific accumulating shape of weaponry the country would need. The small specific spear-heads were — by the small specific reading at the dusk of the eleventh moon — perhaps two finished pieces.
Tie-zhu, by the small specific reading at the same dusk, was at the small specific accumulating shape of a young carpenter-and-medic whose foot, by the small specific reading at Ah Chou's salve and the past year's *huang lian* additions, had become at last a foot that could — by the small specific reading I have not seen at any specific saying for fifteen years — walk the country at the small specific reading of a young man's whole walking. He had carved — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three years' work — perhaps thirty small specific items at the bench: bowls, cups, the small wooden tablets of the household's reading, two small wooden carved horses for Ah Chou's small specific keeping (Ah Chou, at the small specific accumulating reading of the past year, had begun to keep his own small ledger of small specific carvings, by the small specific accumulating saying of his own monastery's small old reading), a small wooden box for the boy's accumulating arithmetic-papers, the small specific accumulating wooden inventory of a household at its small specific full year.
An Ashi, by the small specific reading at the same dusk, was at the small specific accumulating shape of a quartermaster-and-second-skill whose small specific accumulating reading at the past five years had taken him to perhaps three thousand characters and — by the small specific reading at the past spring's small specific scout — had given him the small specific accumulating accumulating real eye on the small specific lower country. He had, by the small specific reading at the past year, begun to take a small specific accumulating role as the household's small specific *political eye* — the boy who, by the small specific reading at his accumulating Sogdian-merchant's-son's small specific accumulating eye, could read the small specific small political shifts of the small specific accumulating peddlers' saying.
Ah Chou, by the small specific reading at the same dusk, was at the small specific accumulating shape of a medic-and-quietness who had, by the small specific reading at the past two and a half years at the household, become the small specific accumulating *fifth element* of an old officer's small specific arrangement: the small specific accumulating *seeing-without-being-seen* the household had not, by the small specific reading at the past five years, fully had until Ah Chou's small specific arrival.
The household, by the small specific reading at the dusk of the second day of the eleventh moon of the seventh year, was at the small specific shape an old officer's small specific accumulating careful saying had, six years ago at the *四 人* paper at the foot of his path, predicted.
It was — by the small specific reading at this dusk — the small specific shape that would, in the small specific accumulating spring of the next year, go down.
Lao Wen, at the small wooden stool that evening, said in the small low voice: *lads. By the small specific reading I am giving — the small specific *eventual shape* will, at the spring of the eighth year, be at the small specific real *event* of the household's accumulating decision. The lads will, by the small specific reading at the spring of the eighth year, decide whether to go down to the small specific Wagang Rebellion's small specific *recruitment* and take, in the small specific accumulating shape of a six-man unit, the small specific entry into the country's accumulating *failure*.*
He paused.
"Or, by the small specific reading I am giving — the lads will, at the small specific spring of the eighth year, decide to remain at the upper hills with the master and to wait at the small specific accumulating reading of the country until the small specific *failure* has, by the small specific accumulating reading of an old officer's old saying, *passed* into a small specific accumulating *new shape*."
He paused once more.
"Both readings are, by the small specific reading I am giving, possible. The lads will — by the small specific reading at the small specific *eventual shape* — choose."
The brothers were quiet.
Heizi, at his place at the small wooden table, said in the small low voice: *master.*
"Yes, lad."
"By the small specific reading I am giving at this evening — the lads will go down."
The brothers nodded.
Lao Wen looked at Heizi.
He nodded slowly.
He said in the small low voice: *yes, lad. By the small specific reading at the past five years and eight months at this hut, by the small specific accumulating reading of the lad's small specific accumulating *political* eye and the small specific accumulating reading of the lad's small specific accumulating *promise* at his foster sister's grave, by the small specific reading at the small specific accumulating arithmetic of the country — yes. The lads will go down.*
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the small specific decision is, at this evening, made."
He paused once more.
"The small specific *eventual shape* will be — by the small specific reading at the spring of the eighth year — the small specific shape of the lads going down to the Wagang Rebellion's small specific *recruitment* at the small specific accumulating shape of a six-man unit at its small specific accumulating third formation, with the small specific accumulating reading of a young head of household whose hand the country has — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five years and eight months — shaped."
He paused.
"And the master — by the small specific reading at the small specific decision at this evening — will stay at the hut."
The brothers were quiet for a long beat.
That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire ring inside the south face.
He listened.
The shape of the silence on this watch was — by the small specific reading at this evening — the shape of a small old hut at the grove of twelve pines whose six-man household had, at the dusk, decided to go down at the spring of the eighth year.
He filed it.
In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dusk of Ah Chou's arrival and the small specific noon of the cloth map and the small specific dusk of the day of not-speaking, he set: *the small specific evening of the second day of the eleventh moon of the seventh year, when the household decided to go down at the spring of the eighth year.*
The lighter catalog stood, at this dusk, at perhaps forty-five items.
The dark catalog stood at six names.
The eighth winter at the hut would, in five days, begin.
The work, by the small unhurried way of an old scholar's hut, went on.
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